


sabais

by lessamao



Category: alienthology
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-07
Updated: 2017-03-10
Packaged: 2018-10-02 03:08:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,912
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10208099
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lessamao/pseuds/lessamao





	

"Ugly AND stupid? Well, that's just unfortunate considering your personality~" Jack purred, leaning his forearms against the heavy metal bars right next to the guard.

Survival under the ownership of a slaver called for quick wit and good luck. The later was never on his side, so Jack had a plan: lay low until a labor ship came to buy in bulk, take what you can while working quietly, then slip away and get the hell out of dodge. Being picked out by some wealthy diplomat to act as an exotic pet would make escape impossible, so Jack did everything in his power to decrease his value.

"You wanna run that by me again, blondie?" The guard growled in warning, towering over Jack. "Should I use smaller words this time?" Jack suggested with a charismatic grin.

There was a vibrancy about Jack that was magnetic. A spark that never seemed to go out. Combine that personality with highly desirable looks and you have your self a slave with a pedigree. So acting like a feral dog was the best way back to the bottom of the barrel. "I didn't expect a man so dumb he doesn't recognize an insult. guess I-"

Jack didn't have the opportunity to finish his sentence before he was yanked against the bars, head smacking into iron with a dizzying crack. He blinked the stars out of his eyes and let himself be manhandled out of the cell. A bloody nose would be worth being taken out of the display line up... but luck was never on his side. "One like that."

"You think so?"

The voices were deep, their Sabaisn unmarred by accent. Jack's eyes darted up to see a pair of natives, tall with imposition, their skin marbled like frost on stones. They were tailed by a human slave, lithe and pretty, his status made obvious by the silver collar that encircled his neck. Great.

Jack bared his teeth at them, hoping very hard that his nose was bleeding after all.

The slightly taller one, more slender, his eyes dark and observant as they roved over Jack, his tousled hair, his dirtied face, his snarling expression that promised nothing but grief. "I think so," he said, his voice a solid rumble.

The stockier Sabaisn, wider in the shoulders and crueler around the eyes, made an expression that seemed to be a frown. "I don't see why," he said, reaching out to pet the human slave's hair with fingers that looked more like claws than anything else. "There are plenty already trained. Unless you delight in breaking it yourself."

"I dare you to try, you sick fuck," Jack hissed at them, making the taller one glance at his companion, his expression unreadable.

"Well, Vatuk," he mused. "Didn't you say my life was boring?"

Vatuk showed his teeth in disgust. "I meant that you should get yourself something like this one." He pulled the human close to his side, and he went, docile and willing in a way that made Jack spit on the ground in his own disgust. "He's sweet. Already trained. Better than looking for attention on your own."

The word he used, the one that meant 'attention.' Jack had started to discover that it meant sexual attention, and his stomach turned at the thought of being a plaything. Sabaisn were a large species, hardy and strong, and just one could easily break him in half. Not that he would go down without a savage fight.  
  
  
Vatuk, as he had been called, raised a hand to beckon to the slaver closer. "Bring that one over. My brother wishes to examine it." So they were brothers. Vatuk, an ugly name for an ugly alien, and-... Well he would find out the other's name soon enough. Jacks arms were wrenched painfully behind his back, bound together at the forearm and clipped to his collar with a cord that ran down his spine. It left the human defenseless and rendered him much easier to handle. Jack's feet skidded across the floor as he was literally dragged closer. 

"Mind your fingers, it bites." The warning was ignored. Vatuk pulled Jack the last few steps closer by a fistful of hair. "Your thoughts, Thyerus?" The name rolled from his tongue too quick, too foreign for Jack to process the first time.   
  
The first thing Jack realized about the hand that came up to his face was its size, probably half again as big as his own. The second was the unexpected gentleness of the touch as his chin was lifted. Warm fingers traced across Jack's cheekbone and sifted through short blonde hair. "He's quite a bit softer than I expected."   
  
Jack shook the hand off and turned his gaze on the human slave. He looked pathetic. Frail and grey like he hadn't seen the sun or slept or eaten a decent meal in days. Jack wasn't about to end up looking like that. "I will be no one's slave."

At least the human slave had the decency to look somewhat startled. But his expression faded once again into docility, becoming just a background to the snarl of his master.

"Poor manners," Vatuk said, disgust dripping from his mouth like sour wine. "Surely your taste isn't that bad."

"It could be," the taller one said, thoughtful. He reached out again, tipping Jack's chin up. Jack could feel the sharpness of his fingertips, and it made him scowl.

"What?" He snapped, boldly meeting the alien's eyes.

"You speak fair Sabaisn," he said. "Tell me your name."

 

Jack had no intention of giving an answer, he didn't owe his name to anyone... but Vatuk sneered and suggested "Its a slave, you can give it any name you want" Maybe that bad luck stemmed from his short fuse. "Jack. My name is Jack. And I speak sabaisn because I was a laborer on a station a few clicks out of air space from here before I ended up in this dump. Welding repairs. Obviously not the kind of pet for a spoiled prince or whatever the fuck you're supposed to be." 

Whatever Vatuk's reaction was, Jack missed it. The taller alien's expression shifted from mild surprise to amusement, his dark eyes glittering.

"I'm flattered you think me so high in rank," he said, dropping his hand. He circled Jack, casual in pace but critical in gaze. Vatuk opened his mouth to say something, but his brother spoke first. "Do me a favor, Vatuk. I want to see his file. Would you find the overseer and ask for it for me? It is much appreciated."

Jack expected Vatuk to refuse, but to his surprise, Vatuk left, scowl firmly in place.

 

Jack's cheeks flushed hot with embarrassment, eyebrows knitting together. It was meant to be an insult not a compliment. This was not going the way Jack had hoped and he had only himself to blame.

"So is that your servant or your wife? I can't tell your kind apart since you're all so ugly." Jack groused in a last ditch effort to make his attitude seem as unappealing as he could. 

If it didn't work, violence could always be a last resort, but weighed against the punishment, it didn't seem the most viable option. 

The alien made a sound that Jack could only assume was a laugh. "Don't play dumb," he said, reaching out a hand to take the file the human slave offered him. "Vatuk?"

"He is looking for someone who will suit your tastes better, Master Thyerus," the boy answered, his voice quiet. Thyerus shared a sympathetic glance with him, then flipped the file open.

"I don't know why he pretends to know my tastes," he said thoughtfully as he read. "No offense to you, Minna."

"None taken, sir."

 

Minna. The name suited him. "You know there are plenty of other slaves here. Other species. Better than humans. You haven't even looked at anyone but me." Jack said, watching minna instead of thyerus. "You must want to be like your brother. Jealous of his human slave? Even though you could probably afford someone of higher value? an exotic species even"

Panic flashed through Minna's eyes before he schooled his expression back into careful neutrality. Thyerus didn't seem bothered by his attitude, though. Unfortunately.

"I thought he was my wife," Thyerus said, amusement threading his tone. He handed the file back to Minna, speaking to him with a sweeter air than he did anyone else. "Take this back to the overseer and express my interest in him, please."

Minna took the file and left, quickly, with only a single backwards glance to Jack.  


Jack's blood ran cold. It was a fear response that kicked in. An instinctual fight or flight mechanism that had him backed into a metaphorical corner with no where left to run. This wasn't part of the plan. Freedom would slip through his fingers if he didn't act. And so Jack lashed out lightening quick, an attack that was thwarted in less than a second by the guard that twisted his arm until it threatened dislocation, making it clear just how weak humans were by comparison and earning an undignified yelp of pain. Jack's head was forced down by the back of his neck until his knees buckled and hit the floor.   
  
Minna slowed to an unsure pause, glancing back at Thyerus in question. He nodded as if to say "continue." and Minna bowed obediently.   
  
"You still want this one?" The question was posed by the guard but it was jacks ice cold gaze that demanded an answer.

Thyerus' expression was dry. "Yes," he said. "Although I don't appreciate the implication. I know what I'm seeing."

He was quiet after that, offering up no other words or explanation. When Minna returned with the overseer, Vatuk was with them, and he made clear his disdain as Thyerus filled out the paperwork.

But Thyerus only hummed to show he was listening, but said no more, and didn't change his mind.

 

 

"A fine choice, sir. you will need to sign a release statement, we will not be held accountable for injuries or damages caused by this slave. Sales are final. Taxes on the sale will be collected at the time of sale. A statement of ownership will be drafted for you and medical records will be provided. Vaccines are your responsibility to be kept at regulations." Jack stopped listening after that, he had no interest in hearing anyone talk about him like a commodity.

The collar around his neck was removed but the relief barely lasted a minute. A heavier one replaced it and Jack recognized it as a transport collar. 

"Humans don't fare well in the cold, would you care to purchase thicker clothes for the transportation home?" The overseer asked. "Nonsense, minna did fine, yours will survive too" vatuk insisted.

Thyerus looked at Jack, his gaze unreadable. "I see no issue with him having a coat in general. Add one, then, and we can accommodate as need be."

It seemed almost as if Thyerus wasn't speaking for his own benefit. Jack could survive the cold fine. It was Minna who was slighter, of thinner frame.

But even if Thyerus was trying to hint to his brother, he wasn't doing anything about it. Treating slaves well looked nice on paper, but at the end of the day, you still owned someone else.

Jack spat on the ground. He would be owned by no one.


End file.
